24th New York Asian Film Festival

July 11-27, 2025

Photo: © 2025 MA – CRY OF SILENCE by The Maw Naing

North American Premiere

MA – Cry of Silence

Inspired by dire realities, director The Maw Naing (The Monk, 2014) delivers a quietly powerful portrait of survival and emerging political consciousness under oppression. Mi-Thet, a teenage garment worker, navigates post-coup Myanmar, where blackouts, military violence, and economic hardship dominate daily life. When factory conditions deteriorate and coworkers urge a strike, Mi-Thet hesitates, caught between family obligations and the risks of resistance. Crafted with subtle urgency, MA – Cry of Silence incisively indicts systemic cruelty through its compassionate, restrained storytelling. The film doesn’t shout—it simmers, capturing with heartbreaking clarity the resilience and humanity of a generation forced to endure the seemingly unendurable, illuminating hope amid despair.

Director: The Maw Naing
Cast: Su Lay, Kyawt Kay Khaing, Nay Htoo Aung, Ko Nanda, Thidar, Nwe Nwe Soe, Htet Htet, Khine Tha Zin Ko
Languages: Burmese with English subtitles
2024; 77 min.

SCHEDULE:

Thursday July 17, 3:30pm
Film at Lincoln Center